An Unexpected Life
by samwilde04
Summary: Vivian was home alone when the outbreak reached her neighborhood. In the Walking Dead universe, Viv and what's left of her family fight for survival against the impossible.
1. The Very Beginning

Vivian was home by herself when she saw her first undead.

It was her neighbor, Barbara. Vivian, Viv for short, was standing on her porch, watching the people of her community pack up food, clothes, and children in a panic. The Wilsons were screaming for their dog, Squirrel, who was nowhere to be found. The Hendrix group was just about done packing, and was squeezing into their station wagon. Even the shut-ins, the elder O'Malley couple was all hot and bothered about leaving "this instant Irma!" shouted the old man.

Everyone was in a panic, but not the girl on the porch; she was calm and steady. Her sister, Marian, and her sister's boyfriend, Brett, were at the store, buying whatever they could so the three of them could leave along with everyone else. So Viv was left to pack her clothes and valuables, pack what she could of their own kitchen, then wait until the couple returned. Her swollen suitcase rested at her feet as she looked down the road, expecting the boyfriend's blue Ford Escape to come roaring back any minute now.

Another quarter hour passed with no sign of the Ford. They had been gone for two hours now, and the supermarket was only ten minutes away. The Hendrix family was now gone and the Wilsons have given up on their dog and were in the process of finishing up. Bouncing on her heels, the girl started getting anxious. Where were they?

She pulled out her phone and turned it on. They had lost power last night so she turned her phone off to conserve the battery; something was telling her that she would need it for as long as it would last. Tapping the screen quickly, she let herself become consumed with the text messages from various friends and acquaintances pouring in her phone.

_R u ok?!_

_We're leaving town, going to Atlanta. Stay safe, see you there! Luv u!_

_Are you leaving too?_

_Wuts goin on? Do u kno?_

_I'VE SEEN ONE! IT ALMOST GOT ME ANSWER YOUR PHONE!_

Dozens of texts from her phone, none from her sister, all basically saying the same thing: We are leaving for the city, and the news reports are true, the dead rise again and eat the living. The girl was too busy going through the influx of messages to see a figure walk by the porch from in between her house and the Wilsons'. A scream brought her back to attention.

Mrs. O'Malley was staring at the person who just walked out on the girl's yard. Recognizing the person, the girl yelled, "Barbara! I thought you had left already! What is Mrs. O'Malley scared a…bout…" The last word dropped from her lips with despair as Barbara turned around to face her, with blood soaking the front of her summer dress. Barbara growled and started toward the closer prey, reaching out as she got close. The girl screamed, and scrambled backward. Tripping over her pregnant suitcase, she landed on her rear end. Barbara started up the porch steps. The girl screamed again and crawled backward until her back hit the wall, which she used to get to her feet. Groping the door next to her, she flung open and threw herself in, then slammed the door shut just as Barbara launched herself at her prey.

She slid the deadbolt into place and stepped back to watch her neighbor claw at the thick glass of the front door. Her heartbeat boomed in her ears against the silence of the house, the only noise the growls of dear old Barbara. Vivian watched as her dear, sweetheart neighbor pressed her whole body against the door, smearing the fresh blood along the glass. Thankfully, the door showed no sign of weakening.

Beyond Barbara, the old couple had gotten into their car and was screeching out of their driveway and out of sight down the road. The noise distracted Barbara from pawing at the unyielding door, drawing her away from the girl inside. She turned to follow the car but saw a young boy much closer. Cody Wilson, only six years old, stood in his family's front yard, clutching his baby blanket that he hasn't touched in a couple years, while his parents concentrated on filing their vehicle to its maximum. He stared transfixed as Mrs. Barbara walked closer and closer, scared but not making sound, only taking the occasional step backward. Once she was only a few yards away, her hands stretched out again towards her meal.

Here was kind Mrs. Barbara, the go-to babysitter for the neighborhood. She loved all the children, remembered every single ones' birthday, and treated them all like the family she didn't have. Just the previous year, Mr. and Mrs. Wilsons sat Cody and his older sister down and told them that should anything happen, like a fire or if someone broke into the house, to run to Mrs. Barbara's home and wait for either the authorities or their parents. She was the one who always had a smile on her face and candy in her pocket. And here she was, about to snatch one of her beloved faux grandchildren.

Suddenly, a small, yellow blur bulleted out of the woods and threw itself between Mrs. Barbara and the child. It was the Wilsons' dog, protecting Cody. The dog's low warning growl didn't faze Mrs. Barbara, now only feet away from the boy and his guardian. Squirrel crouched down, the hair on the back of his rump standing up. Barbara fell down to her knees in front of the dog and brings the back of his neck to her mouth, ignoring the snapping teeth and holding the wiggles down in an iron grip. And that's when Cody started screaming, drawing the attention of everyone around, including the girl inside next door who was still in shock.

Vivian jumped over the porch railing and sprinted to the boy, barely stopping to pick him up and away from the horrific scene. She quickly delivered him to the arms of his mother, who was starting to hyperventilate and panic. The father, with one hand on his wife's shoulder, grabbed Viv's upper arm, "Thank you. Thank you so much. We're done packing, come with us. Marian and that boy aren't coming back; they've been gone too long. Come with us." His eyes glued to the blood bath happening just a little ways away, tears filling them. Quickly blinking them away, he turned his family to the car and practically shoved them into the waiting car.

"No!" whispered Vivian, "They'll be back! They have to!" She jerked her arm out of Mr. Wilsons' grip and furiously shook her head. They told her to wait, and she intended to do just that, no matter how long it took. Besides, something was always . . . off about Mr. Wilsons, and she didn't want to go with him. He looked about to protest when his eyes widened and he gave her a small push backwards.

Barbara was looking at them, no longer distracted by the organs in her hands. Viv stood frozen at the display of the lady covered in blood for a second time. A car door slammed shut made her glance and see that all of the Wilsons were in the car. Without a second glance to the teenager, they left.

It was just Vivian and Barbara. Alone.

**Alright guys, please be review and let me know how this first chapter is! I've taken a long break from writing and this is the first piece I've written (and shared) that I plan on continuing. Give me the harsh truth dudes, it will help me be better later.**


	2. The First Death

A thick second hung as Barbara and Viv stared at each other; one completely expressionless and one in utter horror. There was a small breeze whistling through the trees that surrounded the now abandoned neighborhood. In the far corner of her mind, she noted that there was a fire in the distance and it was cloaking the whole area with its smell. But the rest of her mind was solidly focused on the threat in front of her, because it was just starting to sink in the seriousness and realness of what was actually happening.

Her neighbor.

Just _ate_.

A dog.

With a groan, the thing that was no longer Barbara took a step toward the girl. That's all it took for her fight-or-flight response to kick in. The thing was in between her and her house but the Wilsons' house was right there, and better yet, they had left their garage door open when they left in haste. Before she even made the conscious decision of where to go, Vivian found herself sprinting to the sanctuary of the garage. She launched herself to its back wall and slapped the button that would close let the garage door down.

Unfortunately, Barbara was fast enough behind Viv that she tripped the safety mechanism that wouldn't allow the door to close on top of someone. Quickly looking around, Viv noticed the pile of random tall tools in the corner to her left. Shuffling over while never taking her full attention off the being coming closer, she blindly grasped one of the tools and swung it at Barbara's head.

It turned out she grabbed a shovel, heavier than anticipated, and its blunt face smacked her hard but not with Viv's full potential force. So it failed to knock her out or even down, but it did make her stagger a bit, giving Viv the time to pull back another swing, this time preparing her grip with two hands, and release a home run hit, moving her body the way her softball coach had trained her: push off with her back leg and arm, pull with her front arm, follow through with her hips and front leg.

The result was a blow to the side of Barbara's head that no human could have sustained; 'human' being the key word here. She was, however, knocked down on her side, buying Viv another moment. _How can she be ok after that?_ thought Viv as Barbara reached for her with one are while pushing herself up with her other. Before she could, Viv brought the shovel up again and swung it downward onto Barbara's shoulders, angled so it embedded itself in her flesh. Viv winced at the sickening sound of the cracking bones.

Yet, Barbara was unfazed. She wasn't going to stop. So Viv tightened her grip on the wooden handle and heaved the makeshift weapon from Barbara's body. The movement made a wet _slurp_ing sound, causing Viv's stomach to twist.

With a deep breath, the young woman mustered another mighty swing, this time sinking the side of the spade into Barbara's head.

With the shovel deep in Barbara's skull, Viv pushed the handle away from herself in horror. Barbara dropped heavily, the force of her head hitting the garage's cement floor knocked the shovel out of her brain. The fallen shovel hit the cement in slow mo, metal ringing in Viv's ears. _What just happened? Did I kill Mrs. Barbara? What was wrong with her?_ A million thoughts flew in the girls head, mostly trying to makes sense that her neighbor tried to kill her, so she killed her neighbor. She _killed_ her neighbor.

Staring down at the corpse, Viv started feeling really hot and flushed. Then her knees dissolved into jelly and gave out, sending her tumbling back into the mass of tools leaning into the corner. She settled into an awkward sitting position, leaning against random bits of metal and wood, some gorging into her flesh painfully. But she didn't move because wave after wave of vertigo hit her. After a few moments, her consciousness wandered off, not quite asleep but no awake.

_Viv woke up laying on cement, the rough material sapping away the extra heat her body was giving off. She wiggled her fingers and toes, keeping her eyes closed; everything was accounted for, though sore._

"_Hey Vivi! You okay?" shouted Laura, Viv's best friend and only living person allowed to address her as 'Vivi.' "Sorry about that! I thought you saw that coming." Then, Viv remembered, she was playing basketball in preparation for the high school try-outs next week. She must have been nailed in the head by a pass. _Great.

_Laura's shadow overcame her, blocking out the late afternoon's sun lighting up her eyelids. Cracking one eye open, she say Laura had a hand outstretched to her. Viv grasped it and lifted herself up to her feet. She held Laura's hand for an extra moment or two, until she was solid on her feet. She saw Laura frown from the peripheral of her vision, concern vibrated from her friend's body._

"_We're calling it a day, Vivi. Maybe we should see a doctor or call your mo-" Viv shot her a look, immediately dismissing both ideas. Laura shook her head at Viv, "Fine, no calling of the parents, but we are going inside. And you will sit down for awhile. C'mon, I'll make protein shakes!" _

"_Sounds good," smiled Viv, letting go of Laura's support and leading the way into her house, forgetting the basketball that had wound up somewhere in the front yard._

Sounds came to Viv first; the sound of the breeze at the garage's opening, her own breath inhaling and exhaling, and, far away sounding, tires. The tires didn't really register in her head as something to be concerned about until they were quite close. With a groan, Viv tried to sit up but only succeed at rolling her head to her other shoulder. The tires were at the end of the driveway when they gave a loud, sudden screech, like someone slammed on the brakes, then the vehicle (she could also hear the engine's grumbling at this point) rolling up the drive way until it was as close as it dared get. Viv wrenched her eyes open. Barbara's dead eyes stared back at her, scaring away the grogginess from Viv's mind. With a sharp yelp, she sat up and frantically looked around, left to right, down at her legs, up to the small SUV taking up the garage's front.

Or more specifically, to the two people rushing to get out of the SUV. Marian. Marian and Brett. Relief washed over Viv, everything was going to be ok. They were back, safe and sound. She wasn't alone anymore. Marian ran over to kneel in front of her little sister, ignoring the body she had to step over. Without a word or warning, she roughly pulled Viv into a bear hug, feeling her physical body against her own to reassure her older sister instincts that Viv was ok, at least as ok as anyone could be with the apocalypse starting.

"Are you ok? Any cuts, scratches, sprains,…bites?" Marian muttered into Viv's mousy brown hair before pulling back and staring into her eyes. Her hands move on their own accord, one to Viv's cheek and one to her shoulder, keeping her looking up and supporting her torso from falling back again. Viv quickly nodded, opening her mouth but no words came out. Temporarily satisfied, Marian pushed herself to her feet, and then helped Viv to hers. Brett cleared his throat, drawing the sisters' attention to him.

"We need to take care of it," he said, gesturing to the corpse at his feet, "and then get everything from the car and ourselves inside ASAP." He looked Marian, meeting her eye. An exchange occurred silently, tipping Viv off that they knew something and weren't sure how to tell her, or if they even should. Pushing that thought aside for the moment, Viv replied, "It? How can you say that?! She is Mrs. Barbara! The candy woman! A second mother or grandmother to us all! She may have tried to hurt me but she was sick or, or something. But she is still human. Or was…still human, that is."

Marian looked at her sister with pity and understanding, sighing, "No, she wasn't. But we'll tell you everything we learned once we get inside and safe. Ok? But first, Brett's right. We can't let its body, I mean, her body just lay here. It needs to be burned and before you object, it's faster than digging a grave, and it's safer."

Without skipping a beat, Marian went inside the Wilsons' house, using a spare key hidden under the garage's welcome mat. Viv heard her looking around, opening and closing cupboards by the sound of it, and then she returned with three pairs of thick rubber gloves. She tossed one pair to her boyfriend and handed another to Viv. Donning the third pair herself, she started directing her companions, "Alright, Brett, take her hand. Viv, the left foot and I'll grab the right."

Both Brett and Marian moved into position but Viv just stood there, looking dumbfounded. Seeing this, Marian gently put the foot back down and seized her shoulders, "Look, I know this is all crazy and everything is moving way to fast. But we need to _move_. It will be dark in an hour or so and we don't want to still be moving around outside. You did what you had to do, what was 100 percent necessary to survive and that is what drove you to stop it- Mrs. Barbara from getting you. So you need to keep doing what is 100 percent necessary to your survival. And right now, that is helping us move Mrs. Barbara into the Wilsons' fire pit out back. Brett will take over from there while you and I get everything from his car into our own home. Can you do that?"

Viv moved her eyes from Barbara's and stared at her sister, mouth slightly open. With a small shake, Marian repeated, "I asked, can you do that?" This time Viv snapped into life, shaking the cobwebs from her thoughts, then gave a small, weak smile, "Yes. Yes, I can do that." With that, the three picked up their neighbor and awkwardly trudged out the garage, around the house's corner, out to the backyard, and over to the fire pit in the corner against the woods.

Within the hour, Marian and Viv had the Escape in their garage and its contents emptied into the kitchen. The sun was setting, making it easy for the women to see a glow from the fire in their neighbor's backyard. Occasionally, they'd see Brett's silhouette walking around the fire, random sparks flying behind him. At first, Viv pressed her sister for details about what was going on and what happened at the market store. But Marian would just shake her head and mutter, "Brett and I will tell you everything when he gets back in." And that was that.

The sisters stood at the doorway in between the dining room and the kitchen, looking at the mess littering the counters and the floor. Viv was already starting to make a mental list of what was there: flashlights, batteries, random tools, books, bread (smashed but still edible), fruits, dry milk, cans of various contents; the list would go on for a while but she was interrupted by Marian talking.

"Sorry, repeat that? I wasn't listening," apologized Viv, giving her a bashful smile.

"I said, we can sort this tomorrow but it's getting dark and I don't want to waste the batteries more than necessary. While we still have the last sun rays, walk around the inside of the house; lock the doors and the windows. Close the blinds and curtains on the windows. Brett will have to knock when he wants to come back in. Meanwhile, I'm going to check on him and check the fence around the backyard," stated Marian flatly while grabbing a Chef's Knife and heading out the back door without waiting for a response.

Viv sighed dramatically and started doing the rounds. Most of the windows were already locked, just needed to be covered, then she locked and dead bolted the front door, pausing to stare at the darkened blood smears on the other side. She walked to the last room she had to check before going to the back door, which was her father's den/work room. She slipped in quietly, as though making noise would disrupt his working despite him neither being there nor working. She hesitated before continuing to his window, feeling his presence imprinted on the very walls of the space. She could almost smell his musky scent that was unique only to him. After a moment, she proceeded to the window and checked its lock: secure. Then she noticed that she could see Marian and Brett from her position. Marian was gesturing around kind of frantically, getting more hectic with each movement until Brett opened his arms and pulled her into a secure embrace. Viv thought she saw possible sobs rack through Marian's body and that's when she released the curtains and turned away from the window because she felt she was spying on a private and emotional moment. She left her father's den, closing the door behind her, and then went and stood by the back door to wait for her sister, though not expecting her back for a few more moments.

Viv counted 438 Mississippi's before the pair come into the house. Viv shut and locked the door behind them, then wordlessly followed them into the living room. The couple seated themselves on the couch, hand in hand, and Viv plopped herself down on the single person chair opposite to them. Wiggling a bit on the stiff cushion, she looked at them expectantly.

Marian sighed, letting her shoulders sag forward, and glanced at her boyfriend. Brett wrapped his arm around her and nodded.

"Ok. Here's everything that happened and what we learned."

**Alright guys, I've decided I'm going to try and post a chapter a week (as school lets off for the holidays I can do more). Please, tell me what you liked or didn't or if you have an idea (even just a small detail) for the future, I take everything into consideration. **


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